Prisoner

Seeing Hyuuga Nen's speed slow down, Kakashi immediately signaled Itachi Uchiha with his eyes.

Itachi Uchiha had been part of Kakashi's team for some time now and had developed a tacit understanding with the group; he understood the signal at once and began weaving hand signs.

Itachi Uchiha was now unleashing his full strength. In the previous skirmishes, he had maintained a speed of four signs per second specifically to mislead Hyuuga Nen.

Receiving Kakashi's signal, Itachi Uchiha and his clone instantly increased their hand-sign speed from four to six per second, hoping to catch Hyuuga Nen off guard.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Itachi Uchiha first unleashed the Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson, hiding shuriken within the flames of the phoenix fire. The flames enveloped the shuriken as they attacked Hyuuga Nen in unison.

By the time Hyuuga Nen dodged the fire-enveloped shuriken, Itachi Uchiha's Great Dragon Fire Technique had already surged right in front of him.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

On the other side, Kakashi also utilized a Wind Style technique he rarely used to complement Itachi Uchiha's fire, attacking Hyuuga Nen together.

Boom.

The massive fire dragon, bolstered by Kakashi's Wind Style, surged toward Hyuuga Nen at an even greater speed.

"Rotation!"

Facing the incoming fire dragon, Hyuuga Nen immediately deployed Rotation for defense. The high-speed spinning sphere of blue chakra deflected every single attack away.

Seeing Hyuuga Nen execute Rotation, Kakashi did not look surprised; the hand signs he was weaving did not stop.

"Summoning: Earth Style: Tracking Fang Technique!"

At the same time, another of Kakashi's clones began condensing chakra in its hand. A dazzling flash of lightning appeared, emitting a piercing "chirp-chirp" sound, as if a thousand birds were screaming.

The moment Hyuuga Nen came to a stop, eight ninja hounds of varying sizes burst from the ground, jaws wide as they lunged to bite him.

Got him! Kakashi thought to himself the moment the eight hounds lunged, quickly charging toward Hyuuga Nen.

"Chidori!"

While sprinting forward, Kakashi aimed his lightning-shrouded hand at Hyuuga Nen, as if to pierce right through him.

Facing the eight lunging hounds, Hyuuga Nen once again used Gentle Fist: Body Strike Method: Needle. Chakra condensed into needle-like points erupted from his acupoints, striking the mouths of the eight hounds just as they were about to bite him.

Bang, bang, bang, bang. With a series of short, pained whimpers, the eight hounds dissipated into the air.

Facing Kakashi, who was charging like a sharp arrow, Hyuuga Nen simply reached out a hand, grabbed Kakashi's wrist, and with a gentle tug, diverted the direction of his attack.

Hyuuga Nen had already sensed the eight hounds while they were still underground, but Kakashi's timing had been precise; just after executing Rotation, Hyuuga Nen's body would have a momentary pause, making it truly difficult to dodge the follow-up attack.

"Your speed is indeed fast, but your attack trajectory is too singular. Against someone faster than you, the opening is glaring."

As he said this, Hyuuga Nen lifted his foot and gave Kakashi a light kick before leaping backward.

As Hyuuga Nen jumped back, Kakashi's figure suddenly became unstable. Lightning surged from his body, and with a bang, he exploded, sending intense electricity scattering in all directions.

How?

Kakashi felt immense shock at the sight. What method did he use to break the Tracking Fang Technique? And my Lightning Style Shadow Clone—why didn't it explode the moment he attacked, but instead delayed for an instant?

Hyuuga Nen knew of Kakashi's habit of using Lightning Style Shadow Clones to ambush people, so he had remained vigilant when facing the clone.

As for why the Lightning Style Shadow Clone's explosion was delayed, it was the effect of Gentle Fist chakra. Although Hyuuga Nen did not use Lightning Style, he knew Water Style; he had experimented before and found that under the influence of Gentle Fist chakra, a Water Clone's Water Prison Technique would also be delayed for an instant.

Hyuuga Nen had indeed closed his eyes earlier, deceived by Itachi Uchiha's "flashbang." It was possible for Kakashi to have used a technique Hyuuga Nen was unaware of in that moment, but Hyuuga Nen had a certain understanding of Kakashi's intelligence and had not let his plan succeed.

"It's Gentle Fist," Hyuuga Nen said, looking at the surprised Kakashi.

"I've never heard of such a Gentle Fist," Kakashi replied.

"You haven't heard of it, but haven't you just witnessed it now?"

Hyuuga Nen looked at the panting Kakashi, having no intention of explaining further. He used the Body Flicker Technique to charge at him, simultaneously throwing an Explosive Tag toward Itachi Uchiha to prevent him from interfering.

Reaching Kakashi, Hyuuga Nen stopped holding back, his hands condensing Gentle Fist chakra as he drove his fist toward Kakashi.

Seeing Hyuuga Nen begin a close-quarters assault, Kakashi grew wary, condensing his own chakra into his hands in hopes of blocking the Gentle Fist strike to buy time for Itachi Uchiha's support.

However, the moment Kakashi's hands made contact with Hyuuga Nen's fist, his chakra was dispersed. As he was struck, his hands went numb.

Seeing that he had numbed Kakashi's hands with a single blow, Hyuuga Nen extended a palm and struck Kakashi heavily in the chest. Taking the heavy hit, Kakashi spat out blood and flew backward, crashing to the ground and unable to get up for a long time.

Just then, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Hyuuga Nen stepped to the side, dodging the longsword Itachi Uchiha had swung from behind, and turned to deliver a kick.

Itachi Uchiha was slightly faster than Kakashi; he raised his arm to block, but the force behind the leg exceeded his expectations. Furthermore, the chakra emanating from Hyuuga Nen's foot was unlike anything he had imagined from a member of the Hyuga Clan, piercing directly through his chakra defense. The arm that had been kicked could no longer be raised.

Hyuuga Nen delivered another kick, slamming it into Itachi Uchiha's stomach. Itachi Uchiha was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree.

Hyuuga Nen did not pause, closing the distance instantly to strike at the acupoints on Itachi's body, sealing them all.

Using the same method on Kakashi, Hyuuga Nen then produced rope and bound all three of them, leaving them with no ability to resist.